OpenAI: London base and patch
OpenAI plans to open its first permanent London office with capacity for 544 workers, targeting a 2027 opening. (uk.finance.yahoo.com) Separately, it told macOS users to update after a compromised third‑party library (Axios) prompted certificate and code‑signing fixes, while saying user data was not breached. (enterpriseai.economictimes.indiatimes.com)
OpenAI is expanding in London while telling Mac users to update its apps after a software supply-chain scare. (independent.co.uk) The company said on April 13 that its first permanent London office will open in 2027 in King’s Cross, with space for 544 workers. OpenAI currently has about 200 staff in London across research, engineering, customer support, policy, communications, marketing and sales. (rte.ie) Reuters reported the site is at Regent Quarter, across Jahn Court and the Brassworks Building. OpenAI has said it wants London to become its largest research hub outside the United States. (tech.eu) The office plan landed less than a week after OpenAI paused a major United Kingdom data-center project, citing regulation and power costs. The contrast points to a narrower bet on hiring and research space rather than heavy infrastructure. (english.aawsat.com) The security issue involved Axios, an open-source software library that developers use as a building block inside apps and internal tools. OpenAI said a GitHub Actions workflow in its macOS app-signing process downloaded a malicious Axios version on March 31, 2026. (openai.com) Code-signing is the digital seal that tells a Mac an app really came from its claimed developer. OpenAI said the affected workflow had access to a certificate and notarization material used to sign ChatGPT Desktop, Codex, Codex command-line interface, and Atlas for macOS. (openai.com) OpenAI said it found no evidence that user data was accessed, that its systems or intellectual property were compromised, or that its software was altered. It said it rotated certificates and required macOS users to update to the latest app versions to reduce the risk of fake apps appearing legitimate. (cnbc.com) OpenAI said the Axios compromise was part of a broader software supply-chain attack. Axios and Forbes both reported that researchers linked the malicious packages to North Korean threat actors, though OpenAI’s own statement did not name an attacker. (axios.com) Taken together, the two announcements show OpenAI adding office capacity in Britain while tightening the machinery that ships and verifies its Mac software. The London office opens in 2027; the macOS update is immediate. (independent.co.uk)
